286 THE PALMS OF WESTERN TROPICAL AFRICA, 



"Were there less jealousy and more energy among the European traders, and 

 could they induce or force the natives of the coast to give up their monoply, 

 much larger supplies could be obtained at the chief sources of the trade, as at 

 Bonny, Brass, and Old Calabar Rivers, and this oil would be found much 

 superior to that now obtained from the mesocarp of the seeds. 



" Elseis wine, a drink much liked by the natives, is obtained by cutting off 

 the male flower-spike ; this wine is also used by tLe Europeans instead of yeast 

 in making bread. The main nerves of the pinna and the exterior of the petiole 

 are used for basket-work, for the making of brooms, and similar purposes. 

 Dr. Welwitsch says that at St. Paul de Loando the fibre at the base of the 

 leaves, and also that of the spathe, is used for stuffing cushions, &c. ; the soft 

 centre of the upper part of the stem, consisting of the undeveloped petioles, is 

 much relished as a vegetable. Finger-rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other 

 ornaments are cut from the endocarp of the seed. Many as are the benefits 

 derived from this palm by the natives, they are comparatively few compared 

 with the uses made of its products by Europeans ; of these we need not speak, 

 as all must be more or less acquainted with them. It may, however, be worthy 

 of mention that during the last three years 130,381 tons of palm oil, of the 

 value of £5,605,913 have been imported into Great Britain. 



" With regard to their utility to the natives, the various species of Raphia 

 rank next to the Elmis. The petioles furnish the materials of which their huts 

 and beds are made, while the pinnse are used for roofing ; and the epidermis of 

 the leaflets gives the material from which their clothing is made. In places 

 where the Elceis is scarce, the oily substance between the scaly exterior of the 

 fruit and the kernel, although bitter, is eaten with yam, cassada, &c., and tha 

 oil pressed out of it is by the women thought superior to that of the Elceis for 

 dressing their hair. 



"The pleasant taste of the wine obtained from R. Hookeri has even been 

 sufficient to overcome the innate idleness of the natives of Old Calabar, and 

 has induced them to cultivate it. The wine is procured by cutting out the 

 terminal inflorescence as soon as it makes its appearance ; the wine is then 

 produced in large quantities. The natives of Old Calabar manufacture cloths, 

 &c., from the epidermis of the leaflets of this palm, and in the south, at St. 

 Paul de Loando, R. Welwitschi is used for the same purpose, and the petioles 

 of R. vviifgra are employed as poles upon which to carry the palanquins. On 

 the river Sherboro the natives make hammocks from the former material, as 

 well as all sorts of basket-Avork, mats, &c. The roofing made of the leaflets of 

 R. vinifera lasts for three years, while that made from R, Hookeri, it is said,, 

 requires to be renewed every year. 



" Wine is also obtained from Phwnix spinosa, and the fruits of this palm are- 

 much liked by the natives. The very young leaflets, before the leaves expand,, 

 are used for the plaiting of hats and caps at Accra. 



" The outer part of the stems of the climbing palms of Western tropical 

 Africa is used for binding together the materials of which the huts are con- 

 structed. The Banfan people also make large cylindrical baskets of this in 



